If Russia invades Ukraine, Nord Stream 2 will be suspended: Biden
US President Joe Biden has said that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would lead to the suspension of the Nord Stream 2 project in northern Europe.
Talking to reporters on Monday at a joint news conference at the White House with visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Biden said the Russian invasion of Ukraine would end Nord Stream 2. "If Russia invades... again, then there will be longer Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it," Biden claimed.
When asked by a reporter how the US aimed to cancel the huge gas project which had already been completed, the US president responded, "I promise you we will be able to do it."
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which runs under the Balkan Sea directly from eastern Russia to northern Germany, was built to double the amount of Russian gas flowing to Europe.
Work on the pipeline was suspended in December 2019 after a Swiss company abandoned pipe-laying operations under the pressure of US sanctions. In December 2020, the construction of the gas pipeline was resumed after one year delay.
The gas project has been the main bone of contention between Moscow and Washington, with the latter fearing that the pipeline will increase Europe's dependence on Russian energy.
In this regard, the US and Germany have sought to present a united front against potential Russian military aggression in Ukraine.
Biden had earlier praised Washington and Berlin's coordinated approach to deter Russia's imminent invasion of Ukraine, saying the two were "working in lockstep".
Berlin has warned Moscow that any new “escalation” of tensions in Ukraine can directly impact the much-anticipated Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.
Critics of the Nord Stream 2 say the project is a setback for climate protection and also empowers the Kremlin to spread its political influence throughout the European continent.
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